Jeff Henry, the co-owner of the Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas was arrested in Cameron County Texas on Monday. (CAMERON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)
BY
ELIZABETH ELIZALDE
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, March 26, 2018, 7:58 PM
The co-owner of a Kansas water park was arrested Monday in Texas in connection with the death of a 10-year-old boy who was decapitated after his raft went airborne on a slide.
U.S. Marshals Service agents took Jeff Henry, who co-owns the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, into custody in Cameron County for the killing of Caleb Schwab on Aug. 7, 2016, the Kansas City Star reported.
Henry, 62, was charged with murder, aggravated battery and aggravated child endangerment.
The Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas opened in July 2014.
The Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas opened in July 2014. (DAVE KAUP/REUTERS)
Caleb, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, was on a raft with two women riding on the Verruckt waterslide when it went airborne and collided with a metal hoop, decapitating him. The women suffered serious injuries.
“Considering the allegations from Friday’s indictment, we were not surprised at the actions taken by the Attorney General to charge Jeff,” Schlitterbahn Waterpark said in a statement.
Caleb Schwab was killed while riding on the Verruckt waterslide on Aug. 7, 2016.
Caleb Schwab was killed while riding on the Verruckt waterslide on Aug. 7, 2016. (GOFUNDME)
“We as a company and as a family will fight these allegations and have confidence that once the facts are presented it will be clear that what happened on the ride was an unforeseeable accident.”
The grand jury indictment charges Schlitterbahn and ex-operations director Austin Miles with involuntary manslaughter and other charges.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/schlitterbahn-water-park-employee-charged-10-year-olds/story?id=53968559
Tyler Austin Miles, 29, was also charged with manslaughter in the 2016 death of Caleb Schwab. (WYANDOTTE SHERIFFS OFFICE)
Whistleblowers told investigators that other rafts had previously gone airborne before Caleb’s death, according to the indictment.
Miles allegedly avoided making repairs to the Verruckt and is accused of telling a police detective he was unaware of riders’ complaints.
Henry was also named frequently in the indictment, which says the co-owner and designer had no engineering experience to open up a water park.
The Verruckt opened in July 2014 and was deemed by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest water slide.